A referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union has revealed a conviction in Germany arising from the importation of timber from Myanmar in breach of the EU’s sanctions.
The defendant was convicted and given a suspended sentence of 19 months in prison and a confiscation order of €3,310,902.98 was imposed as well.
The case has been referred to the CJEU because the defendant argues that the timber in question should properly be seen as having been imported from Taiwan, and not Myanmar, because the timber had been processed in Taiwan.
Update: The CJEU case was registered on 8 February 2023.